School Days are Here Again

So, school has started back up and we are more or less back in the swing of things. It was pretty tough getting used to getting up before 8 o'clock every day! But, I've survived. I know, rough life.

This school year is great because it's my second time around. Lesson plans are already finished for the most part and I don't need to work too hard to make sure I know how to teach the curriculum. Now I can focus more on improving what I'm already doing. I enjoy my classes but realy miss the 7th grade advanced math class from last year. The kids were super fun and kept me laughing all the time! They also cared about what they were doing and worked really hard. I loved that class! Because I don't teach 8th grade advanced math I don't get to see them anymore. :( At least I can say 'hi' to most of them in the hall.

I've definately found that each class or group of kids is its own beast. This years seventh grade class has some great kids but also some kids that I'm quite sure will drive me bonkers before the end of the year. The other day the kids were all quietly and a 7th grade boy came to my desk and asked what my four favorite colors were. WHAT?!?! Ummm... I'm trying to get things done, just like you should do. You shouldn't care what my favorite colors are! Don't bother me with pointless questions! Oh well, he's a nice kid, just a little annoying every now and then.

I had QUITE the crisis a few days ago. It all started when Mom came to visit a few weeks ago and told me I shouldn't drink so much pop! So, I've been trying to drink more water at school. There is a water machine in the office so I can just keep refilling my water bottle which works nicely. Last Tuesday I was doing great! I filled my water bottle first thing in the morning and had it all gone by the end of 2nd period. I filled it again and had about 1/2 of it gone by lunch time. At lunch someone came in and asked what had happened to the water machine. Then I found out that they had taken it out to clean it shortly after I had refilled my bottle because a bunch of ants had crawled into the water reseviour and everyone who got water that morning was getting ants in their water. WHAT?!?!? AGH!!! How many ants had I consumed! SO gross! I wanted to throw up. I ran back to my room to check my water bottle hoping that it would be ant-less. There were 3 dead ants in the bottom of my half consumed water bottle. GROSS!! So that was my Tuesday. Very anty. I got home from Volleyball practice and had to bring Henry to the airport right away. He flew down to Los Angeles for work. When I got home I made a BIG batch of Potato Soup! YUMMM!! I've been eating it all week.

Wednesday morning: Chapel Day. I put on my favorite brown dress pants that are wide leg with a cuff sewn into the bottom of the legs. I also wore my favorite brown heels. As I was coming in from taking Chief out right before leaving for school tragedy struck. Just before getting to the front door, my right heel got caught in my left pant cuff without me noticing. I tried to take a step and... splat. Down I went. Immediate pain. I looked at my hands that had kind of caught me and they were all scraped up and bleeding. I looked at my knee and there was definately a hole in my favorite pants. Chief's leash broke. Bad deals. I had to run upstairs and try to quickly find something else to wear. I had to clean out the cuts on my hands and knee. Ouch! After a couple of band-ades and a different outfit I was out the door a little late. R.I.P. pants, R.I.P.. Wednesday night I was home and getting ready for bed. Chief was laying on the bed and I went to go lay next to him. As I went to put my head next to his, he jerked his head up to look at me. BANG! He caught me right in the bridge of my nose. OUCH! I thought it might be broken. But, as Prof. Vander Berg taught me in First Aid and Athletic Injury, when a nose breaks, it bleeds. So I don't think it's broken. But is sure is sore! So far it hasn't bruised, which I'm very thankful for.

So, now it's Friday and I've averted disaster for almost 48 hours, hoping to keep that streak going. Henry comes home tonight, which is nice. Tomorrow we're going to 'Do the Puyallup'! It's the Puyallup Fair in Puyallup, WA. The fifth largest fair in the United States. It's always a lot of fun with plenty of good food! Henry loves the fair and this weekend is 'Christian Schools Days' so we will visit the Seattle Christian booth and hear the SCS jazz band play. Tomorrow night is the first night of the Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church's BOWLING LEAGUE! It's Henry's favorite time of the year. College football and bowling leagues. It should be a lot of fun. This year Eric & Carla and Steve & Harriet are doing a 'Bowl-share' on our team. So Henry and I will be the regular bowlers and Eric & Carla and Steve & Harriet will take turns bowling with us.

I think that's all I've got for an update at this point. We're looking forward to a busy October and November and then Thanksgiving and Christmas! Pumkin carving! Volleyball games! Maybe Spokane to meet Mama H and Cebu Daddy? Henry's birthday! Lots of fun stuff on the horizon.

Hope you all are doing well! We miss you and love you lots!!

- Lindsey, Henry, and Chief Walter Winston III (who has a hard head)